In some communication networks, certain communication nodes in the network are not easily accessible for repairs in the event that equipment on the communication node experiences a failure. For example, communication nodes located in space are practically inaccessible and, as such, that failed equipment cannot be repaired. To prevent the failures from affecting the operation of the communication node, the communication equipment on the communication node includes standby equipment that increases the redundancy of any communication paths through the communication equipment. To control which communication paths are used through the communication equipment, a switch network is used to switch a communication path from failed equipment to standby equipment.
In certain implementations, a switch network can be implemented using a network of switching circulators. To switch the direction of the switching circulators, control wires magnetize the ferrite elements contained in the circulators to switch the direction of the RF signals travelling through the switching circulator. In conventional implementations, each ferrite element that may need to be switched has a single control wire wound through the ferrite element. In these implementations, a single driver circuit must provide the flow of current in both directions in the single control wire, which enables the circulator to switch for clockwise or counterclockwise flow of RF signals through the circulator.